Designated as Adarlan's royal assassin after winning the king's contest, Celaena Sardothien feigns loyalty while secretly fighting tyranny and struggling with feelings for both Dorian and Chaol. By the author of Throne of Glass. - (Baker & Taylor)

As the royal assassin to an evil king, eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien must decide what she will fight for--survival, love, or the future of a kingdom. - (Baker & Taylor)

She is the greatest assassin her world has ever known.
But where will her conscience, and her heart, lead her?

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.Keeping up the deadly charade-while pretending to do the king's bidding-will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. Where do the assassin's loyalties lie, and who is she willing to fight for?

The New York Times bestselling sequel to Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight secures Sarah J. Maas's reign as YA fantasy royalty. - (McMillan Palgrave)

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series, as well as the Court of Thorns and Roses series. Her books are published in over thirty-six languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog.

www.worldofsarahjmaas.com
www.facebook.com/theworldofsarahjmaas
Instagram: therealsjmaas

Booklist Reviews

Now that Celaena Sardothian is safely ensconced as the king's assassin, after Throne of Glass (2012), she's begun to consider the true price of her freedom. Tasked with killing her tyrant king's enemies, Celaena has a tricky balance to strike: proving her loyalty and preserving her life, and trusting the growing voices decrying the king's power-hungry schemes. But that balance crumbles with an unexpected death and a frenzied search for both the killer and the secrets that murder was meant to hide. Meanwhile, Celaena finds herself in the midst of a steamy love triangle, with jealous glares flying almost as fast as her own daggers. There's a lot to like in Maas' latest—magic, witches, betrayal, love, page-flipping action—and it's balanced by an equally tantalizing secret: Who is Celaena, and what is she hiding? It's probably best to start at the beginning of the series, and fans will be satisfied not only by the intricate plot, dishy romance, and rich world building but they will be thrilled by the prospect of deepening adventures in the next volume. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Author tours, conference appearances, social-media campaigns, global marketing: this up-and-coming author will be making the rounds. Expect her large online fan base to follow. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

As the King's Champion, Celaena must assassinate anyone the king chooses, but she undermines his rule--and stays alive--by faking her targets' deaths. Secrets abound in this epic fantasy's second volume, and rebel activity, the king's nefarious plans, a murder mystery, a love triangle, and figuring out whom to trust keep the bad-ass heroine busy and readers engaged through the final reveal.

Kirkus Reviews

After being named the King's Champion in Throne of Glass (2012), Celaena Sardothien serves as the king of Adarlan's personal assassin--at least, she pretends to--in a densely plotted sequel. If the king catches Celaena disobeying his orders, he will execute her closest friends. However, she can't stomach advancing his agenda, especially if it means murdering innocents in cold blood. When the king uncovers traitors in the city, the first name on his hit list is Archer Finn, a popular courtesan and Celaena's old friend. Plotting Archer's escape, Celaena takes the opportunity to make him her personal informant about the rebellion, which Celaena hopes will help her infer the king's plans--plans she is thoroughly conflicted about challenging, for as much as she hates the king, she thinks opposing him would only get her killed. Secrets damage her nuanced relationships with Chaol and Nehemia. (The complex friendship between these two formidable women is a particular treasure.) Meanwhile, Celaena unravels the mystery of Adarlan's sudden strength, a magical subplot that intersects with Dorian's dangerous self-exploration. Vivid Celaena, loving and brutally violent in turn, is a fully realized heroine. The ending comes at the right time--at the close of one storyline and prologue of another--to leave readers impatient for the next installment. An epic fantasy readers will immerse themselves in and never want to leave. (Fantasy. 14 & up) Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

Kirkus Reviews

After being named the King's Champion in Throne of Glass (2012), Celaena Sardothien serves as the king of Adarlan's personal assassin--at least, she pretends to--in a densely plotted sequel. If the king catches Celaena disobeying his orders, he will execute her closest friends. However, she can't stomach advancing his agenda, especially if it means murdering innocents in cold blood. When the king uncovers traitors in the city, the first name on his hit list is Archer Finn, a popular courtesan and Celaena's old friend. Plotting Archer's escape, Celaena takes the opportunity to make him her personal informant about the rebellion, which Celaena hopes will help her infer the king's plans--plans she is thoroughly conflicted about challenging, for as much as she hates the king, she thinks opposing him would only get her killed. Secrets damage her nuanced relationships with Chaol and Nehemia. (The complex friendship between these two formidable women is a particular treasure.) Meanwhile, Celaena unravels the mystery of Adarlan's sudden strength, a magical subplot that intersects with Dorian's dangerous self-exploration. Vivid Celaena, loving and brutally violent in turn, is a fully realized heroine. The ending comes at the right time--at the close of one storyline and prologue of another--to leave readers impatient for the next installment. An epic fantasy readers will immerse themselves in and never want to leave. (Fantasy. 14 & up) Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.